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Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Terrific sofa throw for Shih Tzu lovers at Pet Stuff Resale


This gorgeous light weight blanket has such realistic likenesses of shih tzus you want to reach for the dog treats!

Measuring 52x70, this was made by the Danbury Mint, makers of collectible items.

Their current throw in this size is 75.00.

At Pet Stuff Resale this one is 38.00

Thursday, September 17, 2009

All crates are not created equally.

From time to time I hear a prospective client say "Oh I can get this cheaper at _____". The response is "maybe, maybe not"; in many cases, it is CHEAPER and the client sacrifices quality, especially if the crate is for a puppy. They have sharp teeth and endless energy!

Often it is an apples to oranges comparison. When I know the specific brand, usually a bargain brand, I can point out the differences. On wire crates, there may or may not be "guards", little fasteners going forward and/or backwards anchoring the top to the sides. These prevent the dog from pulling or pushing the wire walls ajar, which can injure the dog. The less expensive crates have fewer of these.
The strength of the wire itself varies also. The bargain brands have what I call "winky" wire, not very strong. The generic brand I sell is mid range gauge.
The really strong stuff is found in crates such as Midwest Ultima brand-pit strong
I call them.

In addition, the plastic trays are often very thin, so can split under the weight of a bigger dog.
One of the most common requests I get at Pet Stuff Resale is for replacement trays.


Petmate, which has made some very good crates, has really lowered their standards
on some smaller plastic crates. The plastic itself is flimsy and the plastic connectors fall off frequently, especially the front ones. They have improved the door; I no longer see the round dial latch which was terrible. Unfortunately, these crates are not bargain priced.

I spend a lot of time educating customers and will refer clients to a pet store
if I do not have what is best for them. It's not just good business, I don't
dare ignore how my momma raised me!

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

I gave incorrect information about recycling cat furniture in last post

I want to correct it but getting different information from different vets.
I have been told that you do not need to wait 90 days and also told you cannot
reuse cat furniture because spores such as ringworm last forever. In the spirit of honesty I did not want to wait to say I need to do more research on this topic.
I do apologize and thank Cindy Shaw for the gentle to update my information.
I am waiting to hear back from several more vets.

Cleaning cat trees at 4 am?

Yes, I was just outside in my driveway doing exactly that! I was excited about it; a load of cat trees when it is rare to get even one in the secondary market. Ok, I wasn't quite that excited to be out there but was wide awake and wanted to put my time to good use. I grabbed Kirby the cocker to give him some out time and multitask also, I confess. Too bad none of my neighbors were up to get a photo!

Between the truck dome light and a subdivision street light I could get quite a bit done. It's a tiny community with lots of pine trees and a couple of small lakes, so the breezes are quite nice,great working environment. (This is just another of the many benefits of working for ones self.)

This 5 and 6 foot cat trees are in great shape and are in neutral colors. The support piece of wood(the trunk) is all one piece, not two pieces nailed together, which is important for stability. It also speaks to the quality of workmanship, no cutting corners on this cat furniture. They are priced between 100.00 and 125.00.

One of the most important aspects of Pet Stuff Resale is product cleanliness, so these trees need to be isolated for 90 days, until 12/9/09, as a precaution. There is no way to disinfect all the way thru the carpet, nor is leaving them outside adequate. FIP is the longest lasting germie affecting cats; even though it is not common, I don't take any chances.

Clients buying one of these neat trees and getting a picture of their cat(s) on them will get it posted here with their bio.